Otoacoustic emissions, pure-tone audiometry, and self-reported hearing

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the association between otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), pure-tone thresholds, and self-reported hearing disability. Design: A population-based cohort of 4202 adults was examined with air conduction pure-tone audiometry, transient OAE (TEOAE), and distortion product OAE (DPOAE). Participants completed 15 self-report items on hearing disability. Results: Correlation coefficients in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 were observed between OAE (TEOAE, and DPOAE) and self-reported hearing depending on age and sex. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds generally predicted self-reported hearing slightly better than did the OAE measures. Adding TEOAE and DPOAE as predictors in a multivariate model together with the scores from pure-tone audiometry did not predict self-reported hearing better than did pure-tone audiometry alone. The relationship between OAE and self-reported hearing was stronger in men than in women and became more manifest with age, a trend also stronger in men. Conclusions: OAEs were shown to be a valid measure of self-reported hearing disability of the general population but added no additional information to what pure-tone hearing thresholds had already captured.

Key Words::

• Audiometry
• otoacoustic emissions
• self-reported hearing
• communication
• age
• sex
• hearing loss
• presbycusis
• epidemiology
• participation restriction
• activity limitation
• disability
• handicap

Acknowledgements

The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (The HUNT Study) is a collaboration between HUNT Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Verdal, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and the Nord-Trøndelag County Council. The NT County Health Officer and the Community Health Officers in Levanger and other municipalities provided organizational and other practical support. We also want to thank the NT Hearing Loss Study team for their diligence.

Declaration of interest: The Nord-Trøndelag Hearing Loss Study, which is a part of HUNT, was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIH, research contract No. N01-DC-6-2104.